Lionel Messi: FC Barcelona football star Lionel Messi has purchased a 4-star hotel in Sitges, a beach town near Barcelona. The price for the 77-room hotel, which will be run by Majestic Group, was €30 million (US$33.8 million).
Venice: Venice, Italy, is expected to confirm a ban this week preventing developers from converting buildings into hotels or making extensions to existing ones. Approvals would come on a case-by-case basis, and don’t affect Airbnb.
Japan/Airbnb: The Japanese government approved legislation to legalize Airbnb and other home-sharing services. The law allows homeowners to rent accommodations for up to 180 days per year.
Resorts World: Resorts World Casino’s gambling license has been suspended pending an investigation following an attack by a gunman that left 38 people dead. The attack exposed deficiencies in safety and security procedures, regulators said.
London: Preliminary STR data for London shows strong performance growth. Based on daily data from May, London reported the following in year-over-year comparisons: Supply up 3.2%; demand up 5.0%; occupancy up 1.7% to 83.1%; ADR up 7.0% to £153.04 (US$198.15); RevPAR up 8.9% to £127.24 (US$164.75). Absolute RevPAR would be the highest for any May on record in London. The market has set RevPAR records each month in 2017.
Colony NorthStar: Colony NorthStar Chairman Tom Barrack was accused of tax evasion in Italy. The government claims that he conspired to evade nearly US$190 million in taxes when he sold a group of luxury properties, including four hotels, on the island of Sardinia, to Qatar Holding LLC.
Carlson Rezidor: Ken Greene was named president of the Americas at Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. Greene, a former president and CEO of Delta Hotels & Resorts, most recently was CEO of Greenehouse Consulting in Toronto. His background also includes stints at Wyndham Worldwide, where he helped the company establish an Asia Pacific regional headquarters.
Dutch palace: Soestdijk palace, occupied by Dutch royalty until 2004, will be turned into a hotel and exhibition space. The 17th-century former hunting lodge and estate was purchased by Made in Holland for €1.7 million (US$1.9 million). The top floor will be turned into a 14-room hotel. The multi-use complex will take 10 to 15 years to complete.
Thanos: Thanos Hotels & Resorts acquired the Aloe Hotel in Paphos, Cyprus. A price was not named. The family-run company owns three other hotels on the island.
Coast Hotels: Vancouver, British Columbia-based Coast Hotels is adding a new property in Oliver, British Columbia. The new-build, 80-room hotel is slated to open in May 2018. The property owner is Mundi Hotel Enterprises. With the addition, the brand will have 36 properties in western North America.